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Kindred: The Embraced: Romeo and Juliet
"Romeo and Juliet" is the fourth episode of the Fox Network television series Kindred: The Embraced. Directed by Ralph Hemecker, it first aired on Wednesday, April 10th, 1996. In this episode, the rivalry between the clans comes to a head as Eddie Fiori prepares for war against Julian Luna. Cash asks Julian permission to embrace Sasha, but the Brujah have their own plans for her instead. Daedalus rescues a terminally ill child from a hospital and wants to help him. Synopsis Cash and Sasha go to a secret place of Cash's so they can be together. Cash appears shy before Sasha, but this is because he is afraid of not only his own emotions, but the fact that he is a vampire. Sasha is very aggressive when it comes to her feelings however, and the two make love. Meanwhile, at the Dock Worker's Union, several Brujah mobsters meet with their Primogen Eddie Fiori. One of them brags about killing a Gangrel by shooting him off his motorcycle, then finishing him off while he was on the ground. The conversation veers towards the boiling rivalry between the Brujah and those vampires still loyal to Prince Julian Luna. Eddie is anxious to depose Julian and feels that a clan war is a good way to thin out the bad blood. He wants to find a way to provoke Julian's anger, feeling that by doing so, Julian will lose his sense of reason thereby giving the Brujah an advantage over him. Back at Cash's place, one of his female Gangrel allies busts into the room in a panic. She tells him that the Brujah murdered one of their own. Cash bolts for the door and tells Sasha to go home. At the Haven, Julian and Lillie Langtry stand at the balcony looking down at the club patrons. They watch Sasha enter the room and advance towards Cash, who is sitting at the boor scouting for Brujah. As if on cue, Eddie and his cronies walk into the club. Lillie takes note of the fact that they did not bring any of their female followers with them. Julian suspects trouble, but is more concerned about Sasha's presence at the club. Lillie points out that Cash and she are obviously in love and that he should support their romance. Julian cannot consent to this, feeling that Sasha's continued involvement in Kindred affairs only puts her at risk. Sasha approaches Cash, but he warns her that she shouldn't be here. Sasha retaliates by saying, "You're here.", and makes it obvious that she is not simply going to leave just because Cash wants her to. To make him jealous, she begins dancing provocatively with one of Eddie's Brujah, not realizing that the man she is dancing with is a vampire. This provokes Julian who comes downstairs, interrupts the couple and throws the Brujah across a table. Eddie smiles, now knowing that Sasha is the Prince's weak spot. At Julian's mansion, Cash enters the foyer and addresses the Prince. He gives him an update on the Brujah's latest attack against the Gangrel and warns him that war is inevitable. Julian wants to quash the war fever before it gets any worse, but Cash tells him that there is nothing that is going to prevent all-out clan violence at this point. The only thing Julian can do is try to control the situation so that the war can be waged on his terms, not Eddie Fiori's. Cash then confesses that Sasha and he are lovers and asks Julian's permission to embrace her. Julian refuses. Julian goes to the offices of the San Francisco Times to meet with Caitlin Byrne. Caitlin shows Julian photographs of a feature she is working concerning anemic and malnourished children at the Bay General Hospital. Julian recognizes one of the doctors in the photograph and knows that he is a Kindred who has been feeding off the children. His eyes glow with rage and he returns to his house. He seeks out Daedalus and tells him of this vampire's practices and that it violates the Kindred's ethics against harming children. He sends the Nosferatu out to execute the doctor. Daedalus arrives at the hospital as the doctor goes about his rounds, sneaking into the children's ward and feeding off of them. Daedalus cuts power to the ward and the doctor realizes that something is wrong. He sees Daedalus standing at the end of a corridor, and hears him pronounce sentencing against him. The doctor turns to run, but Daedalus quickly pounces on him and kills him. He brings the body down to the basement of the hospital and disposes it in the incinerator. One of the doctor's patients, a small boy named Abel witnesses Daedalus act and approaches him. Daedalus is surprised to find that Abel is not afraid of him. The vampire feels sympathy for the child's plight and brings him back to his warren. Julian arrives and is concerned that Daedalus took the child away from the hospital. He is also surprised to discover that Abel can identify a Kindred on sight. Daedalus wants to help Abel and Julian fears that he intends on embracing him. Daedalus refutes the idea however, saying that to do so, would curse the child with everything that comes with being a Nosferatu. Instead, he wants Julian to embrace him. Julian feels sorry for Abel, but embracing a child is strictly prohibited under Kindred law. He cannot take responsibility for human tragedy, no matter how merciful it might seem. He instructs Daedalus to return Abel to Bay General Hospital. That evening, Sasha goes to the Haven. She sits at Julian and Lillie's table and professes her love for Cash. She wants Julian's blessing to see him. She also indicates that she knows she is different from everyone else. She wants to be like Julian. Luna contemplates the matter for some time then goes outside. He finds Cash and gives him permission to embrace Sasha. He further advises that he must agree to care for her. Cash reigns in the elation he is feeling and agrees to Julian's terms. attack Sasha.]] He goes to Sasha's room, but is horrified at what he finds. The Brujah have already made their move. One of Eddie's henchman has Sasha pinned to her bed, blood pouring out of her neck. Cash moves towards her, but two more Brujah restrain him while Sasha's attacker forces her to drink his blood. Once the deed is done, Cash knows that Sasha will now be a Brujah vampire. The thugs drag the semi-conscious Sasha Luna out of the room. She can barely cry out Cash's name. Downstairs, Julian has a private meeting with Archon Raine. Archon is preparing to leave and Julian wonders how he will ever be able to run the city without him. Archon has total confidence in Julian's capabilities and feels that the city is in good hands. Suddenly, Cash bursts through the door and tells Julian that the Brujah have embraced Sasha. Julian flies into a rage and goes to Eddie's office at the Dock Worker's Union. He bursts through the doors and shouts at Eddie, demanding him to hand over the Brujah who made Sasha. Eddie defends the position that the Brujah should be able to repopulate indiscriminately regardless of Kindred law. Julian gives him an ultimatum. Either he delivers the head of the Brujah who turned Sasha, or Julian will kill Eddie himself. He turns and storms back out of the office. Meanwhile, Frank Kohanek goes to Bay General Hospital. Sonny Toussaint is already there along with a detective named O'Fallon. They inspect the incinerator where Daedalus disposed of the doctor's body, but tell Frank that they turned up nothing. Frank begins looking for himself and Sonny and O'Fallon exchange wary glances (thus revealing O'Fallon as a Kindred as well). Frank pulls the skull of the doctor from out of the back of the incinerator. Sarcastically, he looks at the others and says, "Nothing strange here". Below Julian's manor, Daedalus has yet to bring Abel back to the hospital. Instead, he is painting a portrait of the child. Julian comes downstairs. Though he is aware of the boy's presence, he has more important things on his mind right now. He wants to know where the Nosferatu stand with regards to the pending clan war. Daedalus, still bitter at Julian's refusal to embrace Abel, tells him that the Nosferatu are a neutral clan and that they will not choose sides in any war. Frustrated, Julian repeats his order to bring Abel back to the hospital then leaves. Daedalus does as he's told, but he cannot bring himself to simply forget about this sick boy. Abel tells him that he doesn't want to die and that he wants to be strong like the Kindred. Daedalus sorrowfully tells him that he cannot help, but that he will come to the hospital often to visit him. He makes Abel promise to never speak of him the disappears. Frank and a nurse find Abel wandering the halls of the hospital. Frank asks him if he will tell them who abducted him from the hospital, but Abel remains silent. He looks up towards Sonny and instantly recognizes him as a vampire. Meanwhile, Cash rides his motorcycle up to the front of the Haven (kicking a Brujah passerby in the process). He grabs Sasha then rides off. He brings her to a private area where they can talk. Sasha is scared and doesn't understand what is happening to her. He tries to explain that the change will soon overtake her and she will be a vampire. He also warns her that Brujah and Gangrel are immortal enemies and that in time, her Brujah blood will overwhelm her. Julian meets with Lillie and Archon. He tells them that they must be ready to go to war with the Brujah. Lillie questions how much of Julian's decision is based on personal animosity. Julian explains that if Eddie wants a war badly enough, there is nothing they can do to change that other than giving him what he wants. Come dawn, Cash brings Sasha out to an old barn. She is experiencing the change and is now in great pain. Cash opens his arm and lets Sasha drink of his blood. At the hospital, Frank buys Abel a soda and sits with him. He continues to question him, but Abel gives him nothing. Caitlin Byrne arrives and pulls Frank away, hoping to get a statement. She wants to talk to Abel, but Frank discourages her since he is at the center of a murder investigation. Frank asks if Caitlin knew that Julian Luna donated a large sum of money to the hospital, possibly as a means of keeping the scandal quiet. While they talk, Abel slips away. Frank chases after him, but as he rounds the corner, Daedalus appears and pins him to the wall. Seething with rage, he accuses Frank of using the boy to capture him. Sonny intercedes on Frank's behalf and calms Daedalus down. He tells him that Frank is under the prince's protection. Frank now knows that Sonny is a vampire as well. Daedalus tells Sonny "You're more human than I thought.", then disappears. Sonny uses his Kindred powers to make Frank forget what he had seen. Caitlin goes to Julian's house and asks him how he knew about the death of the doctor before anyone else did. She wonders if Julian arranged to have him killed. She also brazenly asks him if he made a donation to the hospital as hush money. Luna evades her direct questions and tells her that as a businessman, he is often required to make tough decisions. Sometimes those decisions may fall outside the strictest letter of the law. Caitlin feels guilty for accusing Julian of being a vigilante. Daedalus returns to the hospital one final time to see Abel. With his knowledge of alchemy, he has created a formula that he hopes will cause Abel's disease to go into remission. He places a blue-colored balm upon the child's lips while he is sleeping then leaves. The cure miraculously works and Abel's health is restored. That night, the vampires loyal to Julian meet with Eddie Fiori's Brujah for a back-alley showdown. Sasha appears and Eddie beckons her to his side. Julian and the others withdraw their arsenal from beneath their coats and the Brujah do likewise. Sasha is scared and doesn't want to be in the middle of this standoff. She tells Julian that she will go with Eddie if it will keep the peace between the clans. Before any action can be taken, Daedalus and his Nosferatu emerge from the shadows. Despite their traditional position of neutrality, they throws their support behind the prince. Daedalus tells Luna that their loyalty comes with a price. Julian asks him what he wants and Daedalus points to the Brujah responsible for turning Sasha. Luna nods his approval and the other Nosferatu descend upon the vampire, tearing him to pieces. The other Brujah back down, but Eddie maintains his position. Cash grabs Eddie and Julian tells him to lock him in his car. Julian drives Eddie out in the middle of the desert and leaves him in the sun. Eddie is strong, but even he cannot endure the deadly sunlight for a very long time. Julian circles back around just as Eddie's body begins to blister. He begs Julian for mercy. Luna tells him that the only reason he still lives is because he allows it. He then opens the trunk and Eddie crawls inside. Cast Regular Cast Guest Stars Notes & Trivia * This episode is available on the Kindred: The Embraced - The Complete Series DVD collection released on August 21st, 2001. * Production code number: 3795-004. * Ralph Hemecker also directed the series finale, "Cabin in the Woods". * Although C. Thomas Howell is the leading actor in this series, his character has only minimal screen time in this episode. * Eddie Fiori appeared last in "Prince of the City". * Abel is credited as "Dying boy" in this episode. * Daedalus reveals that the vampire doctor who was feeding off the children was of Clan Ventrue. * This episodes establishes that the Brujah clan are prone to frenzy. This is consistent with the portrayal of the clan in the Vampire: The Masquerade roleplaying game. * First episode to feature members of Clan Nosferatu other than Daedalus. * First professional acting work for Emile Hirsch. Emile will later go on to play the role of Speed Racer in the 2008 Speed Racer film. Quotes See also External Links * * "Romeo and Juliet" at TV.com * "Romeo and Juliet" at ShareTV.org * "Romeo and Juliet" at TV Rage.com ---- Category:1996 television episodes